Tourists Ray and Kathleen Hart were stunned when they saw a picture of their son Bob on a political poster in Portugal - taken when he was just 18 months old.

Mrs Hart spotted the poster first as the couple, of Gloucester Gardens, Braintree, strolled down a street in Faro on an evening out.

Mr Hart said: "Suddenly my wife said, 'Look there's Bob'. He is our youngest son and my immediate reaction was what on earth is Bob doing here?"

Mr Hart realised his wife was pointing at a poster and they both recognised the photograph at once. The toy pedal car and the front room setting were missing but the small boy - now 35 - was unmistakable.

"We were shocked. We remembered the photograph and just hoped we still had the original back home," admitted Mr Hart.

On holiday with no camera and due to go home the next day, it was a race against time to borrow a camera and get the film developed to record the amazing coincidence.

"If we had seen such a poster in England it may have been almost believable, but for us to see it while on holiday in Portugal is totally unbelievable," said Mr Hart.

"I cannot think of a greater coincidence, especially after such a great length of time."

Bob, of Longleaf Drive, Braintree, who works as an insurance agent said: "It is amazing after all this time."

But he said he was not embarrassed at his old snap or his new role.

"Not at all. It's not as if I'm in the bath or anything, but I didn't expect to see that again," he added.

The original picture was taken by Dennis Mansell when he was a photographer with This Is Essex partner paper, the Braintree and Witham Times.

Mr Mansell died in 1993 but son David said that as a freelance photographer his father had photographs available to picture agencies around the world.

But he added: "It really is a bit weird, I am amazed by the coincidence. I am obviously pleased in the sense that it is nice to know my dad's work is still being used even now and is still appreciated."

(Right)Political animal - Bob Hart on the Portuguese poster

(Left) The original photograph, taken by Dennis Mansell

(Right, bottom) Taken aback - Ray and Kathleen couldn't believe their eyes

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.